Presents an obituary for Joseph E. McGrath (1927–2007). Joseph E. McGrath, who died on April 1, 2007, often described himself as a “conceptual carpenter.” It was an apt description: Joe conceived and built the frameworks within which a remarkable number of students and colleagues designed their studies, chose their methods, and developed their theories. He was not one to promote the flashy new concept, to generate the gasp-provoking empirical demonstration, or to concoct the unheard of new measure or manipulation. Instead, Joe created elegant conceptual and methodological platforms on which he, along with his many students and colleagues around the world, productively explored an extraordinarily diverse set of scientific and social problems.